TOMB RAIDER

TOMB RAIDER (2018)

Directed by Roar Uthaug

Screenplay by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons

Story by Evan Daugherty and Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Starring Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristen Scott Thomas


So, I had a chance to check out the new TOMB RAIDER film. This one is a reboot that goes back to the beginning, showing how Lara Croft picked up her tomb-raiding hobby. It's heavily influenced by the 2013 version of the game, itself a reboot of the game series. In it, we got a younger, inexperienced Lara who had not yet faced the challenges that turned her into the kick-ass character we've known for the past twenty-two years. (Good grief! Twenty-two? Yep, the first game came out back in 1996.)

Both the 2013 game and the 2018 movie take young Lara to the lost island of Yamatai, believed to be the final resting place of the 3rd century Japanese Queen Himiko. Movie and game pit Lara against an assortment of enemies after Himiko, who was believed to have supernatural powers.

The movie also mixes in a bit of the 2015 Rise of the Tomb Raider, replacing the first game's bloodthirsty cultists with the second game's evil organization, Trinity, which hopes to find Himiko's tomb and harness her power for themselves.

Alicia Vikander, the second Academy Award winner to portray Croft, really throws herself into the role. She's maybe a little petite for Lara (she's apparently only 5'5") but she's solid muscle and once she has her 'trial by fire' moment in the film and really goes on the offensive you have to feel a bit sorry for the bad guys. She also nails the emotional side, grounding this Lara as a daughter who has refused to accept the loss of her father when she was a child and now has a chance to find out what happened to him.

Leading said bad guys is the always cool Walton Goggins as Mathias Vogel. Stuck on Yamatai until he and his men find Himiko's tomb Vogel has maybe gone a bit crazy, something Goggins excels at without a bunch of overblown posturing. Just looking in the guy's eyes can give you a chill up your spine.

Daniel Wu tags along as the captain of the ship that gets Lara to Yamatai, and whose father also disappeared on that last fateful journey of Lord Richard Croft, played by Dominic West.

While the more grounded, semi-realistic action is a welcome change from all the over-the-top cartoon stuff out there these days (there is some of that, of course, and some nice nods to action scenes from the game) and surprising in a film based on a video game, I can't help but think it would've benefited from being a bit more like the game in regards to the plot and some of the enemies. I also missed her supporting cast from the game, but this movie was all about Lara and that's okay, too.

Overall I thought it was a pretty good action movie, obviously in the Indiana Jones mold as it has evolved thru the years in both the Tomb Raider and Uncharted games.

G.I.JOE vs. THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN

G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO VS. THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN

Writer: Ryan Ferrier

Artist: SL Gallant

Inker: Brian Shearer

Colors: James Brown

Letters: Robbie Robbins

Publication Date: 2018

Published by Dynamite Entertainment and IDW

Just this past week, on the 7th of March, was the 45th anniversary of the premiere of THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN TV movie. Two more movies followed, then the weekly series that lasted five seasons and spawned a spin-off and three reunion movies. It also started my lifelong (so far) fandom of said show. I'll spare you more of the tiresome details of my love of the show because I've talked about that enough, particularly here and here. What I won't spare you is my comments about Dynamite's latest attempt at bringing 'my' show into the funny pages.

Much like their last run at Steve, FALL OF MAN, this title looks like it's going to be pretty much unconnected to their initial foray into continuing the TV series, the very cool SEASON SIX mini-series. This one looks to take place in late 1981 or early 1982 if the marquee seen near the end is on a first-run movie theater. That puts it three years after the series ended so Steve has some bionic upgrades now.

If you're like me (I pity you) you questioned the 'versus' in the title. I mean, Steve and the Joes are all good guys, right? Why would they be fussin' and fightin'?

Well, the issue starts out with Steve dropping into Siberia to rescue a rich tech dude in the clutches of the Russians. After a blast of bionic action we find out it's a trap. Steve is captured and 'introduced' to Dr. Mindbender and even tho I'm not an expert on the Joes or their enemies in Cobra I've got an idea where this is headed.

Then we cut to the assembled Joes getting ready to escort Air Force One, ferrying the presidents of the USA and Mexico as well as the Canadian Prime Minister, to an important peace accord which will unite the world against terrorist organizations like Cobra. All the favorites from your toy chest are here; Hawk, Roadblock, Rock 'n' Roll, Lady Jaye, and the two I actually owned, Scarlett and Snake Eyes, among others.

Whatever the Joes were prepared for, it ends up not being a single man with a flying wing strapped to his back. Especially one they recognize as an American intelligence agent. Under Mindbender's control, Steve and his bionics make short work of the Joe's aerial escort as well as Air Force One itself. At the end of the issue, the Joes have crash-landed in the middle of a Cobra-controlled island and are being charged by an army of the blue-clad goons, led by the Six Million Dollar Man himself.

Being the first issue, I can't really comment on the storyline as a whole. The issue does a good job of introducing all the players for anyone not completely familiar with them and putting everyone into place. We'll see how the series progresses.

Personally, I'm hoping they break Cobra's control over Steve sooner rather than later so he can spend his time working alongside the Joes to end Cobra's latest scheme instead of using him as a last-issue surprise attack, but we'll see.